RunningAHEAD - Topic: Nashville Country Music Marathon

posted: 8/25/2008 at 11:53 PM

I've heard there a couple ~~Nashvillians~~ Nash-villains around here. If you look carefully, you might find one or two.

In the meantime, I'd start here:

http://www.runningahead.com/forums/search?keywords=country+music+marathon&a=Search

... and look through the threads.

Then maybe direct your question here:

http://www.runningahead.com/groups/NMS/

Or here:

http://www.runningahead.com/groups/HHFMM/

Or just wait for one of the critters to show up ...

E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
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Guy running in pink

posted: 8/26/2008 at 12:24 AM

As a newbie, I'd suggest running the local one, ESPECIALLY given that it is a very, very well-managed race.

CMM is also a good race. It is managed by a for-profit company that puts on lots of races across the country. Some people like them more than I do. I did like CMM a lot more than one of their other races (San Diego).

Anyway, travel logistics can add a bit of stress. Plus CMM is a Saturday race, but you have to be there on friday to pick up your number. Staying local makes things easier... in my opinion, that more than makes up for the lack of bands.

Nashville as a city is way cool. No, I wasn't paid to say that.

With realistic Pants-on-Fire action!

Funky Monkey

posted: 8/26/2008 at 1:35 AM

The entertainment along the course is great. Kinda. I have run CMM five times. If there are some 20 bands along the course, you will be lucky to hear about 15 of them, and will likely pass the others during breaks or set changes between musicians. As you pass a band, you will hear the music for about a minute before and a minute after. So if you hear 15 bands, that is maybe 30 minutes of music. There are long long stretches of CMM with almost NO crowd support, really from mile 11 through mile 26.

So you may not get quite as much entertainment as you'd expect... But it is a reasonable race.

It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack.

Funky Monkey

posted: 8/26/2008 at 2:21 AM

(I do hear that there is another Nashville marathon with no music or crowd support whatsoever...)

It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack.

Guy running in pink

posted: 8/26/2008 at 2:23 AM

Quote from Trent on 8/26/2008 at 2:21 AM:

(I do hear that there is another Nashville marathon with no music or crowd support whatsoever...)

Is this the Music City Marathon?

(joke)

With realistic Pants-on-Fire action!

Funky Monkey

posted: 8/26/2008 at 2:28 AM
modified: 8/26/2008 at 2:33 AM

Heh.

MTA: I actually can think of 4 marathons and 2 ultras IN Nashville.

1. CMM (marathon, April)
2. Jaunt in the Joint (marathon, September)
3. Greenways Marathon (marathon, October*)
4. Urban Ultramarathon (multiple ultra distances, October)
5. HHFMM (marathon, November)
6. Kroger Monkey (42 miler, multiple times per year)

*coupled with the Music City Half Marathon and put on by the fellow who used to run the Music City Marathon years ago.

It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack.

Guy running in pink

posted: 8/26/2008 at 2:35 AM

I hear that jaunt in the joint is now a point-to-point with NO turns.

I mean, it used to be a loop. Until they were all scared straight.

"Kroger Monkey". Yes, the organizers put a lot of thought into the naming.

(sorry, soonergal013. Back to your thread now. Both marathons are good, but I recommend OKC for your first one. But I've said that. There's an echo in this thread.)

With realistic Pants-on-Fire action!

Funky Monkey

posted: 8/26/2008 at 2:38 AM

The Kroger monkey organizers are crazy. They put little thought into most things.

The problem with running straight at the Jaunt in the Joint is that after a few steps you bump into 12 foot barbed wire fences and, er, get the guards' attention from their gun towers... Wink

It's all fun and games until the flying monkeys attack.

mikeymike

posted: 8/26/2008 at 12:31 PM

I agree with srlopez; stay local. Take the travel, logistics and cost out of the equation and just focus on the race.

JakeKnight

posted: 8/26/2008 at 12:52 PM
modified: 8/26/2008 at 12:52 PM

All right, serious answer for the OP:

I'm sure you're already familiar with it, but go to marathonguide.com and read the reviews of CMM. They're pretty much spot on.

If you'd like to read my own novel-length entry from the first time I ran it, wander back to shortly after April 2006. It's under username "JK," I think. It's still pretty accurate, except for that silliness about the hills. The CMM is not hilly, at least not by middle Tennessee standards. Maybe by Oklahoma standards.

Trent is right about the entertainment. Frankly, I don't think its much better than most other marathons. You'll hear half the bands, for a minute or two. Some of them will be playing sappy country songs that will make you want to kill them. And of course they're all strangely absent from about mile 11 to mile 22 or so, right about when you need them most.

The cheerleaders are great, though. Last year was the first time I truly appreciated them.

The biggest problem with CMM (besides the boring course and lonely second half) is the fact that its really a huge half marathon with a medium sized marathon tacked on. If you read the reviews, that comment comes up a lot - and its very true. Great half marathon, though.

In case its not obvious, I'm not all that enthused about my home town marathon. It's a decent race, a little pricey, a little hilly for some, sometimes too hot and humid for a PR. It's okay, but I probably wouldn't do it more than once if I didn't live here, and I can think of better first marathons if you want to travel.

Including that other Nashville marathon.

E-mail: JakeKnight2002@aol.com
-----------------------------

DrewEOB

mmm... monkey brains

posted: 8/26/2008 at 1:16 PM

Quote from JakeKnight on 8/26/2008 at 12:52 PM:

I can think of better first marathons if you want to travel.

Including that other Nashville marathon.

No one in their right mind would choose that as their first. Just sayin'

Drew

Road to the Monkey

Just run, baby.

So much for my brilliance.

Boomer101

posted: 8/26/2008 at 4:41 PM

Quote from srlopez on 8/26/2008 at 12:24 AM:

I have ran Nashville's CMM the poast 2 years and enjoyed it greatly each time. I am a born and raised country honkeytonk guy so that might have something to do with it. I also ran San Diego's RNR this year and hated it. Okay hate is a harsh word but I figured it would be as organized as CMM but it was not. I have not ran the Oklahoma marathon you are speaking of but agree with what is said above. Logistics is a big plus with staying local but to travel to Nashville and run the race is too much fun to pass up. CMM could easliy become a mainstay in my yearly schedule.

And Nashville is a way cool city. Make sure to drink a beer in Legends on the corner , and visit Tootsies as I was able to catch Kid Rock playing there unannounced in 07.

"26.2 miles of bald-headed sexy"

soonergal013

posted: 8/26/2008 at 8:41 PM

Thank you all for the input. I honestly am not sure which I will choose, but the comments about CMM being both hilly and hot are making me rethink OKC. I don't do well with hilly and hot! OKC is pretty flat, but Oklahoma weather is also incredibly unpredictable. April could have snow, extreme heat, tornadoes--or all three in one day.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great tips. Marathonguide is my new favorite site (after this one, of course)!